Martellus Bennett: Fantasy Owners Should Sit Giants TE vs. 49ers

Better to leave New York Giants TE Martellus Bennett off of your fantasy starting roster against the 49ers this Sunday.

The daunting San Francisco defense has given up the 19th and 28th most points to tight ends and wide receivers this season. Safe to say, the 49er secondary suffocates their opponents.

Bennett is probable for Sunday’s late-afternoon matchup, as he was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice and walk-through.

The Giants will use him sparingly in the passing game against such an aggressive secondary. Dashon Goldson and Co. have no problem taking receivers' legs out when presented with an opportunity.

Plus, the Giants will need to use Bennett in to block the 49ers defensive ends on both passing and running plays. San Francisco has some of the best all-around linemen—Justin Smith and Aldon Smith come to mind—who are constant terrors for offensive tackles.

Bennett will have to stay home to protect Eli Manning if the Giants are planning on passing 40 times or more. In addition, they will try to establish the run early, and their tight end plays a huge part in that.

To make matters worse for fantasy owners, Bennett has slowly been rendered out of the Giants passing game, while the offense hasn’t suffered much for it.

With Hakeem Nicks traveling with the team to San Francisco, Bennett figures to be called on less by Eli Manning. After all, he only has a few games with Eli Manning under his belt; Nicks won a Super Bowl catching passes from the same quarterback last year.

After double-digit fantasy days in which he scored a touchdown, Bennett hasn’t seen much fantasy paydirt in the previous two contests; he only has four receptions for 32 yards to his name. That’s why he’s been dropped in nine percent of fantasy leagues this week.

Keep Martellus Bennett on your fantasy bench and play another tight end option.

Mike Shiekman is a Breaking News Writer for Bleacher Report and loves giving fantasy football advice. Follow him on Twitter @TheRealShiek